Let’s start by saying that the viral video of the globular lightning who is turning online in these hours is fake. In reality, in all likelihood, it is a video made with AI. Having said that, the globular lightning exist and we take advantage to talk about it in this article.
A globular lightning It is a rare, sometimes very short and particular bright phenomenon of the atmosphere. It is a small bright globealmost spherical and variable diameter, still or, more frequently, rapid and random movement. You can spot both in presence and in the absence of thunderstorms and usually has a diameter can vary From a few centimeters up to the meter. The emitted light can be very intense, with different colors: from white to orange, from blue to pink. This bright sphere moves and can last A few ten secondsup to explode or extinct. They can be dangerous: some sightings bring back to globular lightning that caused damage to objects and injured people.
But how does it form and what is the physics behind it? Are the researchers who study this phenomenon agree on your physical model? Let’s find out together!
The mystery of globular lightning: sightings in history
Over the centuries numerous observations of this phenomenon have been recorded: the monk and writer Gervasio of CanterburyFor example, he wrote about it for the first time in June 1195. In describing it, he wrote of a wonderful sign that went down to London (“To Marvelous Sign Descded Near London“).
In 1726 a globular lightning was seen aboard a sailing boat call sloopnamed Catherine and Mary. This lightning broke out the master tree in many pieces and killed a man. This phenomenon, seen on board, was not confused with the Fire of Saint Elmo, That is, bright electric discharges caused of air ionization during a storm, which arise from the pointed structures of the ships.
In 1753 Georg Richmanna Russian physique, an electricity expert and atmospheric phenomena, died of electrocution, affected by a globular lightning. He was leading an experiment during a storm, when the spherical lightning appeared and hit him on the forehead, killing him.
Laboratory experiments
Nikola Tesla He studied the phenomenon and reported that he had reproduced globular lightning balls of a few centimeters of diameter in the laboratory. But he was not the only one to succeed. In 1991 YH Ohtsuki and H. Ofuruton they produced plasma fireballs through microwave interference within a cylindrical cavity full of air. In 2006 Y. Sakawa and his colleagues succeeded in Download a high voltage capacitor In a water tank, generating a globular lightning characterized by the emission of a bright spectrum dominated by calcium, potassium, lithium and sodium.
In 2007, through the vaporization and oxidation of silicon samples, A. Pavão and G. Paiva They generated bright spheres in motion near the surface.
How a globular lightning is formed: some possible physical explanations
Nowadays globular lighty are very complex to study because they are rare and difficult to observe in nature. Over time, several hypotheses and models have been proposed to try to describe this natural phenomenon correctly. Let’s see the main theories together.
Hallucinations
First of all, the researchers considered the hypothesis that these phenomena could only be the Fruit of the hallucinationunleashed by the action of peaks of intense electromagnetic fields on the brain during a storm. This, however, would not explain the sound effect of globular lightning and the smell of sulfur following its explosion, as replaced in several cases.
Vaporized silicon
The first physical model concerns thehypothesis of vaporized silicon. It assumes that during a storm a lightning hit the soil and Vaporis the silica contained in the ground, such as silicon dioxide (Sio2), transforming it into pure silicon steam. During his subsequent cooling, the silicon could condense and recombrate with oxygen, generating the globular lightning. This model is in agreement with the spectral analyzes of the light emitted by a globular lightning recorded by Chinese researchers in 2014. In fact, the globular lightning shared chemistry with the surrounding soil, based precisely on silicon.
Solid nucleus electrically loaded
Then there is a second model said A solid nucleus electrically loaded. It presupposes the generation in the air of a positive central solid nucleus surrounded by electronsfollowing a storm. Between the two offices there is an intense electromagnetic field, in the void, accompanied by a non -linear force called force ponderomotorwhich prevents electrons from falling into the nucleus for a certain time interval.
Microwave
A third model presupposes the presence of a microwave within the globular lightning itself. These microwaves, who were trapped inside a plasma bubble following a bone of lightning on the ground, resonate, guide the globular lightning and define the size. Microwave can pass through the glass and, therefore, this model could explain why this phenomenon is also possible tointerior of buildings.
Lonely
A fourth model investigates the possibility of dealing with gods lonelythat is, stationary waves that do not change their shape, within the blood cell lightning. According to this model, a globular lightning could be based on non -linear spherical oscillations of charged particles within a plasma bubble.
Toroidal structure
A fifth model hypothesizes the presence of a Toroidal swirling structure that oscillates and self -providesin which physics is still very controversial.
Mixed hypothesis
Finally, many researchers believe that natural globular lighty can be generated by different mechanisms And, therefore, there is no single physical model to describe this phenomenon. Some of the models mentioned above, albeit very different from each other, could be corrected and simply complementary.
